1 Down 2 To Go

1 Down 2 To Go

This past weekend I performed in one of only 3 states that I had not jumped in before, Louisiana. In fact, I had never even set foot in the state before Saturday. It seems that everytime I drive through the south I have always gone the northern route and missed the (whatever it’s called) state. I must say, it lived up to the southern tradition.

Having grown up in Alaska, I sort of qualify as a Yankee, but to the true Southern person, I have got the impression that I really am more of an oddity than an actual Yankee since Alaska was mostly populated by Native Americans and Russians (or whatever they’re called now days) during the civil war. However, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time traveling extensively in the U.S. so I have some perspective on regional attitudes and actions.

The south has always had a reputation for great hospitality and I must agree, southern states are generally more welcoming and warmer than northern ones. After my show Sunday I had 5 hours or so before my flight so one family invited me to hang out with them at their house instead of sitting around at the airport. We sat around talking and having a great time until I jetted over to the airport to sit around for a delayed flight. It’s always nice to have a family open their home to a complete stranger.

There’s only one catch to all this, the family I hung out with has only lived in Louisiana for a year, they just moved there from North Dakota which definitely qualifies as Yankee. So maybe hospitality isn’t limited to the South, it’s just more inviting since it’s not 10 below zero. Or maybe I just found the odd ND couple who had a true southern spirit. Whatever the case, I had a great time in Monroe and look forward to visiting Louisiana again sometime soon. Now all I need to do is figure out how to get a show in my final 2 states, Maine and Vermont, someone up there must want to see a jump rope show, call me! I’m up for Northern hospitality and whatever unknowns that brings.

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We had the pleasure of witnessing Peter Nestler break a world record for jumping on the unicycle. 237 jumps in one minute. It was a great assembly. Very emotional for our students to watch, but also he talks about setting goals and the importance of how to reach those goals. It's very good for junior high age kids to hear all that and then actually see someone who has set goals and who has worked tirelessly to achieve those goals. Very good assembly and I would recommend it for anybody.